Acts 9:1-19
“Suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.”
Once again, God reveals His glory—this time in a light from heaven. How often do we read in Scripture that God reveals Himself through light? Remember when God revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush? Remember when God led the Israelites through the desert at night by light from fire? Today, we see Jesus as a light, described as, “above the brightness of the sun, shining round about.” God is mercifully calling Saul, and Saul was not disobedient to this heavenly vision.
To summarize Saul's life, he was a religious leader of the Jewish religion. He loved his Lord very much. In his zeal to serve the Lord the way he thought best, Saul threatened, imprisoned, and killed the Lord's Disciples. In other words, he persecuted the Church of Christ. Saul made choices that led himself away from the heart of God. He even purposed to obtain the blessing of the High Priest to continue in his own way of thinking. The High Priest, however, did not follow Jesus. Saul sought counsel from one who did not have the heart of God. Saul followed his own heart, instead of the heart of God. Consequently, persecution of Jesus and His Church ensued.
Lovingly, God interceded by showing Himself to Saul in a light from heaven. Saul responded in humility, with a cry to God, “Who are You Lord?” This time, he sought the Lord with an honest heart, seeking to truly know the Lord. God the Father was now able to reveal, in all His glory, “I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest.” Saul recognized his sin. Repentance followed as evidenced by obedience to the leading of Christ. Then Saul stood and opened his eyes. He found himself blind. Oh, how God desires to shut out the world from our vision! With Jesus as our vision, He can lead us to the place of His purpose. Jesus called Saul to open the eyes of the people, to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God. Jesus says, “I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of Life.”
Once Saul saw Jesus as, “the way the truth and the life, and that no one comes to the Father but by Jesus,” he prayed. For three days, Saul was dedicated to prayer alone. He truly longed to know the Lord.
How can we have this heavenly vision? Come as Saul did, in repentance and humility, with a burning passion to see Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We cannot choose our own adventure, and expect to see God as He truly is. Rather, seek God first, then let Him lead your adventure as He envisions.
~ Cheryl Helgert
